A GREAT Question

One of my favorite blogs is Making A Mark by artist and writer Katherine Tyrrell.

Katherine asks GREAT questions and sets up polls on her blog. Today's question which caught my eye is "How long do you spend looking at a painting you like?"

When I see a painting that I like, I will immediately walk up close and study it. I look at colors, lines, shapes, forms, light, shadow, how the artist applied the medium, and I also think about my art work. After close scrutiny, I step back again to enjoy the whole piece. This might take five minutes or more. Sometimes I even return to the painting or piece before leaving the gallery or show.

How about you?

How long do you spend looking at a painting you like?

How long do people spend looking at art these days?

According to Katherine's poll (lower right hand side of her blog post) at this time, 1-2 minutes is in the lead........

Favorite Watercolor Painters Past & Present

Fumee d'Ambre Gris (Smoke of Ambergris)
John Singer Sargent
watercolor
1880

Today I received an e-mail from artist blogger, Katherine Tyrrell of Making A Mark, who queried about one's favorite watercolor artists.

I enjoy reading her blogs on a daily basis, but this one caught my eye because I had never seen paintings by the favorite British contemporary watercolor painter, Trevor Chamberlain. As Katherine indicates, Trevor Chamberlain says so much with minimal effort. My favorite painting is Sunbeds and Parasols.

Of course, Winslow Homer and John Singer Sargent made the list of favorite watercolor artists of the past.

What a treat to visit the various websites and view watercolor paintings of all the artist Katherine listed as people's favorites.

Also the watercolor paintings of Kiff Holland caught my eye.

RGB Vs CMYK

I just learned something about the printing of colors. Have you ever wondered why your images onscreen do not come out looking the same when printed?

My watercolor painting, "Garden Art," has been a challenge to print because with some printers it will print blue instead of purple.

I think I now have the answer!


RGB Vs KMYK:

When we create an image with a camera or a scanner, we create one using technology which uses the RGB color model (an additive model - where light is added to create the colour). If you want an image printed the printer needs a CMYK color model (a subtractive model - light is subtracted to achieve the colour before it meets our eyes). This is one of the reasons why what we look at on the screen does not print out quite as we expect. Colors can look off or lose their intensity.

Another reason is that the RGB model actually has a higher number of hues than the CMYK model.

You can convert a RGB model to a CMYK model without loosing any color quality, however the inverse does not work.

For a great explanation read Katherine Tyrrel's blog, Making A Mark.

Here is an online website where it is possible to convert your photos.

Giving

On her blog, Making a Mark, Katherine Tyrrell each year posts art awards which showcase outstanding artists. Although she chooses from the artists who have been nominated for various categories, she invites us to vote for the Making A Mark Award for the best artwork on a blog in 2010.

Tonight while reading her blog, I came across a fabulous artist, Deborah Secor, who embodies the giving spirit by sharing her book and expertise with the world. Her book, Landscape Painting In Pastels can be read and studied in full on the internet. She says, "The blog format allows me to give it away freely to all." WOW! Thank you, Deborah.

I am enthralled by her pastel paintings and cannot take my eyes off of them. I immediately fixated on chapter sixteen - water and reflections. I fell in love with Granite Tranquility and you will see why. After I finish writing this blog, I am going back for more!

I feel as if Katherine has introduced me to some incredible artists to help jump start the new year with loads of inspiration.
Thank you, Katherine.

Art Magazines

Do you have a favorite art magazine?

Last month Katherine Tyrrell created a poll on her blog where artists submitted their favorite art magazines. According to her poll the most popular mazagine for artists is International Artist although a significant number of artists prefer online content to art magazines.

The top USA based magazine in the poll is The Artist's Magazine. Since I have not subscribed to an art magazine in eons, I thought I would look this one up online. What really intrigued me was the All Media Online Competition and seeing the winning entries. WOW! Check them out.

I might have to indulge myself in a subscription.....

Where Do You Start When Making Art Poll Results

The February Making A Mark Poll created by Katherine Tyrrell looked at Where do you start when making art?

The results show that:

57% are influenced by life and what they see around them

43% work from their own ideas and concepts

38% are stimulated by their own reference photos - rather than those taken by other people

nobody seems to want to take account of current trends or whatever seems to sell!!!

134 respondents had an average of 2.42 options which influenced where they started when making art.

To read Katherine's commentary on the poll results, visit her blog post Making a Mark, Saturday, February 27, 2010.

Resources for Artisit

I stumbled upon this great resource for artists when I was looking at an article about how artists price their art.

Katherine Tyrrell, an artist and author who enjoys sharing information about art, has several polls on topics from "How Do You Price Your Art?" to "Selling Art Online," with a lot of good information between.

Check out this site if you are looking for resources for artists.
You will be glad you did!